President-elect Donald Trump issued a fiery statement on Monday afternoon, calling on Hamas to release the hostages the terrorist group has been holding for more than a year or face serious consequences.
Trump posted the statement on Truth Social after the Israel Defense Forces said that American-Israeli hostage Omer Neutra — who for months was thought to be alive in Hamas captivity — was killed on October 7, 2023, and his body has been held by the terrorists in the Gaza Strip. The president-elect said that it’s time for more action to bring home the hostages.
“Everybody is talking about the hostages who are being held so violently, inhumanely, and against the will of the entire World, in the Middle East – But it’s all talk, and no action!” he wrote. “Please let this TRUTH serve to represent that if the hostages are not released prior to January 20, 2025, the date that I proudly assume Office as President of the United States, there will be ALL HELL TO PAY in the Middle East, and for those in charge who perpetrated these atrocities against Humanity. Those responsible will be hit harder than anybody has been hit in the long and storied History of the United States of America. RELEASE THE HOSTAGES NOW!”
Neutra was an Israeli tank platoon commander in the 77th Battalion of the 7th Brigade. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pledged on Monday that Israel would “act resolutely and tirelessly until we return all of our hostages.”
Around 50 hostages, including three Americans, are still being held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip, along with 50 dead hostages, The Jerusalem Post reported. The bodies of four American hostages who were killed by Hamas are still being held by the terrorists. In its October 7, 2023, terrorist attack against Israel, Hamas killed around 1,200 people and kidnapped around 250 others.
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Trump and his transition team have taken credit for the ceasefire brokered between Israel and Hezbollah. Trump’s national security adviser pick Mike Waltz said last week, “Everyone is coming to the table because of President Trump. His resounding victory sent a clear message to the rest of the world that chaos won’t be tolerated. I’m glad to see concrete steps towards deescalation in the Middle East.”
Throughout his 2024 campaign, Trump vowed to push for an end to the war in the Middle East, saying it’s time to “get back to peace and stop killing people.” Trump was a staunch supporter of Israel in his first term and brokered the Abraham Accords, bilateral agreements signed between Israel and the United Arab Emirates and Israel and Bahrain.
This article has been updated to clarify that only three American hostages are believed to be alive in Hamas captivity.
